Rodentia!

 

Sure they are cute. They are also fearless and destructive and stunningly expensive. 

We've had squirrels in our soffits. The scrabbling noises in the house alerted us to them. Only way to get them out was to call professionals. It turns out that critter removal (humane live-traps) and then house sealing to keep them out runs about $2200. So much for our plan for a new range to replace the stinky and probably dangerous old gas one. That will have to wait.

They also attack the garden. I walked down to the pea bed one morning last week to find that all of the cosmos I'd planted there had been bitten off at the ground line. Devastated. And they were getting into the peas. We lost a row of them along the north side of the trellis. 

Walking up to the upper bed near the house, I noticed two tomato plants were cut off at the base, too. Not good news. Fortunately, the next day was Saturday, and I purchased galvanized 16 gauge wire and chicken wire and bird netting. Since then I have been spending a lot of quality time creating solid, physical defenses for the plants. We've even had cheeky red-squirrels climbing the screens on our windows in the house. That freaks the cats out, and is not one bit cool.

This is because fox urine flakes that you shake down are absolutely useless. The critters stroll right over it. Also, it is smelly. But it's expensive ($14 a plastic shaker full), and futile.

I was concerned that the bird netting, light as it is, would be inadequate and chewed through in a minute. I think that if they put their minds to it, they could go right through. But I created a defense for the tomato bed near the house that seems to be enough. It's almost invisible here behind the uber-bed with the broccoli and beats, but that's good news. There's room to grow. That 2x2 at the side can be lifted to access the bed for harvest & weeding, and there's extra netting for when the plants get taller.

Less successful was the prototype chicken-wire bed down in the lower garden around the strawberries.

While impenetrable, it looks a mess in person. I'm hoping to do a better job on the others, having learned a thing or two about how to work with the wire. I'll cover these beds with the bird netting. The only challenge is to do so without allowing the peas to grow themselves into it with their little tendrils.

In other developments, the buttercrunch lettuce from Seed Savers planted out 5/14, I'm giving up on. Looks like it is a no-go. I replanted with rows of Seed Savers mixed salad. We'll see. 

I've planted between the arugula and the spinach & kale with flame lettuce and more of the mixed salad. We'll see how this attempt at succession planting works, as we're eating the first greens now.

One lesson learned is that there's no point in planting summer squash indoors and then planting them out. The seeds I planted (because the ones started indoors looked so sad) directly are looking stronger, and are scarcely behind.

The same is almost true of the cabbage. 

The peppers are progressing appallingly. I've lost all but 5 of them. Some seem to be absolutely stuck as tiny seedlings. Some have been hit by the rodentia infestation. I'm not expecting a big harvest.

Mixed results so far. 

I'm beginning to understand why farmers are always worried. 

It's been dry. Our rain barrel is half empty and I've been using the hose. There's no rain at all in the 10 day forecast, with temperatures in the '90's. I expect we'll get some pop-up showers, butI'm reluctant to mow the lawn. 

There will be further updates as the season progresses, but I need to get into the garden to add more fencing. It is a race against rodents.